Mendez sentenced for drive-by, assault

WORTHINGTON — Ulises Mendez, accused in January of attempted murder, assault, riot, drive-by shooting and reckless discharge of a firearm, was sentenced Monday for the drive-by shooting and second-degree assault after pleading guilty in June. All other charges were dismissed.

Mendez, 22, was sentenced to 104 months in prison, with credit for the 179 days already served since his arrest.

Of the 104 months, 68 are for the drive-by and the other 36 are for the assault. The sentence will be served consecutively.

With good behavior, Mendez could be released from prison in 69 months, with the remaining 35 months served under supervised release.

“Based on your record, I’m going to guess you’ll serve the 104 months,” stated Judge Jeffrey Flynn. “And I’m told ICE has a hold on you, so after prison it looks like you’re going back to El Salvador.”

Mendez was also ordered to pay $750 in restitution for the house and vehicle he shot.

“The $750 can come out of your prison earnings. Judging by your work history, you’ve never had a job,” Flynn stated. “Maybe you can find one in prison.”

According to the complaint against Mendez, he was involved in a fight at a party and had allegedly tried to hit a woman with a vodka bottle.

Friends on the woman picked her up and headed to a home on Sherwood Street at approximately 2:30 a.m. Jan. 9.

As the carload of people waited for another friend to come outside, Mendez and some others appeared in another vehicle.

They exited the house and, according to witnesses, Mendez started shooting a .22 rifle at the house and the occupied vehicle.

“There was a dispute over a stolen cell phone,” stated Nobles County Attorney Gordon Moore on Monday. “Then he had to drive to get a firearm. In the court’s opinion, this is depraved.”

A young woman in the occupied vehicle suffered what Moore referred to as a “glancing ricochet” from one of the bullets.

After the incident, Mendez jumped a bus headed out of town and was apprehended in California. Members of the Los Angeles Police Department were waiting at the bus depot to nab Mendez as he stepped off the bus.

His appearance is distinctive because of the dog paw print tattoos on his temples and other tattoos on his face and neck.

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